


The Bus of the Dead

by MizKTakase



Series: Tales of the Bizarre - Collection 1 (Oct. 2013-Oct. 2015) [18]
Category: Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon | Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Drama, Ghosts, Horror
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-18
Updated: 2017-10-18
Packaged: 2019-01-19 00:00:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,614
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12398937
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MizKTakase/pseuds/MizKTakase
Summary: Rei Hino sees a bus parked by her shrine. However, the driver resembles an old enemy of hers. And he wants her to come in. What will she do?





	The Bus of the Dead

One a very clear day, in the Hikawa Shrine in Tokyo, a girl in long black hair, wearing a white priestess maiden outfit, was sweeping the stairs.  She then looked around, as she was worried.  She said to herself, “Quiet, today.  It’s very silent…”

She then headed down the stairs, as she suddenly saw a bus drive by.  She then said, “Huh?”

It was a huge white bus, with the words TTD on the side.  It also said Route 10, on the ticker.  She asked, “A Route 10 Bus?  On this side of the road?  Strange…  Usually the Route 10s are always on the east side of Nikko.  Something I don’t like…”

She then viewed the bus, feeling some negative dark vibes.  She whispered, “Like before… except…”

There was a boy in a gray bus driver uniform, in blonde hair and a smirk on his face.  She gasped, “No… It can’t be true…”

She looked at his face and asked, “Jadeite?”

The boy turned to her and said, “Who’s this Jadeite?  Name’s James.  I’m on this route, today, heading for my destination.”

“Oh… You remind me of… uh… someone else…”

“It’s not a big deal.”  He smiled, as he offered her a ride, “You want to ride with me?”

“No.”

“How come?  You sure you don’t want to miss out the free ride.”

“Sorry… I kind of had a bad experience with… you know, never mind.  Sorry.”

She stepped back, as James said, “If you ever change your mind, you know where to find me… right here, in Route 10 – Bus #6277.”

The doors shut, as he tipped his hat to her.  She whispered, “I certainly think it’s Jadeite…  But he’s dead.  How could it?”

The boy said, as he drove off, “I’ll be waiting… But no hurry…  Of course, you have time left.  I’ll wait for you, soon… _Rei Hino_.”

Rei then returned to the shrine, as the crows were perched on the roof of the shrine.  She then thought to herself, as she looked down the road.  She felt a dark vibe and figured that it was someone from her past.

_I know what you’re thinking.  This_ is a Sailor Moon fic.  And indeed, one with Rei & Jadeite in it.  But no need to go squee on us.  This is MORE than squee.  
Miss Rei Hino, shrine maiden, doing her normal duties in her temple, only to be visited by a bus, which has a driver, similar to her past.  The driver, who resembles a villain of her past, wants to welcome her to the vehicle, for a FREE ride.  However, there is a lesson to learn that you cannot accept rides from strangers.  But this is NO stranger.  He is only here to lure Hino into the bus, all for something.  But what is it?  In a moment, you will understand what the bus route – Route 10, Bus 6277 – by her usually place.  What is the TTD, why is the driver like Jadeite, and what purpose does it want for Rei Hino?  
This isn’t just a Sailor Moon fanfic… This is… a “ **Tale of the Bizarre** ”…

**_Tales of the Bizarre in:  
The Bus of the Dead_ **

At her house, in her bedroom, she was relaxing in her futon, feeling uneasy about earlier.  She got a call from one of her friends.  She picked up the phone and said, “Hello?”

“Hello, Rei,” a girl spoke, “I was worried about you, yesterday.”

“Usagi?”

“Yes, I mean, you haven’t been out, in a very long time…”

“Sorry.  I’m kind of in a very bad predicament.”

She thought, “I can’t tell her that Jadeite came back, from the dead…”

Usagi, in her school uniform, and with long yellow pigtails and ox horns, said, “Well, the others just felt bad about you, not showing up, altogether.  And it worries me so.  Do you think it’s another monster?”

Rei huffed, “Dense as ever.  Look, Usagi, if it’s a monster, I’ll let you know.”

“But Rei--.”

“SHUT UP!  I don’t wanna talk about it!  It’s just--!  Uhhhh…”

“Rei?”

She hung up the phone and shivered a bit, “I’m sorry, Usagi…  I just cannot say it.  It’s like before, but different… and with me, knowing who I am, and what I am to do…”

Rei remembered long ago, when she saw a bus like that, but it was different.  It was the 66 Bus, on the Sendaizakaue route in Sendai Hill, that transported people into another dimension, at 6pm, never to be seen again.  It was known as the _Demon Bus._ She knew that this might happen before, since Jadeite, at the time, carried a lot of people inside the bus, including Usagi, who was investigating the situation, and herself.  Not only this was the first time they met Jadeite, face-to-face, but it also how she became Sailor Mars.  She also remembered how she defeated and killed Jadeite, with her _Akuryo Taisan_ , burning him to death.  Of course, that was a while back, but she had a bad experience with that face _and_ the Demon Bus.

“I just can’t dare tell her that Jadeite just… came back…”  She whispered, and then thought to herself of the bus she saw, moments ago.  She remembered that James, the driver in question, was carrying a bus load of people.  Except that the bus was empty.

“An empty bus?  Was this bus meant for… me?”  Rei said, but she couldn’t grasp the situation.

Of course, she forgot about it, altogether.  But it still disturbs her, since it was a supernatural feeling.  She decided to _not_ mention this to her friends, and will remember to ask _James,_ if and when the Bus 6277 returns to Sendai Hill.

She went to a private room and kneeled down on a small mat.  She was praying to a huge pot of fire, in which to meditate and ask for advice.  As she was meditating, sensing the dark auras around her, back outside, a couple of black crows fluttered by, perched on the shrine’s roof.  They cawed, all throughout the afternoon.

That evening, Rei was walking outside, in her red blouse and jeans.  She said, as she was a bit nervous, “I don’t understand…  I never knew that it was legit…  Still, what is going on, and why was there a bus coming to me?  I got nothing out of it.  And I swear that it was Jadeite…”

She looked around the streets and spotted a bus drive by.  It was another TTD bus, except it was full of people, and with a young driver in black hair.  She stepped inside, as she said, “And to think, this imposter used a TTD Bus to take me on a private ride… but to where?”

She sat down, as she was sighing.  “I don’t know… Is it just me, or am I losing it?  I’m not, but it has to be another Demon Bus.  Luckily, that rumor is long gone.”

She then pondered, feeling scared, “So… What kind of bus _was_ that?”

The bus stopped at a red light.  She got up from her seat and asked the driver, “Excuse me, sir.  I was wondering… One of your buses, a Route 10 from Nikko, was driving by my shrine.  And, well-.”

“Which bus?”  The driver said.

“Oh.  Bus #6277… Route 10, on a route to Nikko.  It was by the Sendaizakaue route, just today, and--.”

“Miss, there is NO bus 6277.”

Rei gasped, as the driver said, “Well, no.  We _used_ to… but the bus was destroyed, a long while back, because the motors were busted.”

“Are you serious?”  Rei cried, “You mean… But that bus I saw was…”

“Miss, it was probably another bus, taking a shortcut, from its original route.  Route 10?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Well, I’ll see if the boys know anything about the whole _Route 10 on Sendaizakaue_ situation.  For now, the bus is about to move.  Take your seat.”

She sat back down and shivered, “A ghost bus?  It can’t be…”

**XXXXX**

The crows continued to perch at the temple, as Rei returned home.  She then let out a huge breath, and said that it is all a delusion.  To her, it felt real.  As she walked off, Rei felt another chill in her back.  The bus returned, with James in it, as it was still empty.  Rei turned around, as she panicked, “OH, no… Uh… Jade--, uh, James…”

The doors opened, as he smiled, “Room for one more?”

She panicked, and then cried, “GO AWAY!”

She dashed off, as James smirked, “She’ll find out, soon enough.  She needs to understand that this is a private ride she _has_ to take.”

The bus drove away, as the crows fluttered off.  Rei ran back inside, locking the door.  She shivered, “WHY NOW?  Why is there a ghost bus in the rou--?  Wait a minute…  What am I scared of?”

She stepped out and barked, holding up some ofudas, “If that is a ghost bus, and I know it is, I’m going to ward it off!”

She prayed in tongue, as she held up a ofuda.  
“ _Rin, Pyo, Tou, Sha, Kai, Jin, Retsu, Zai, ZEN!_ ”

She placed wards on the door, and inside the house.  She approached the bus stop sign and barked, “Even if it _is_ you, Jadeite, I’m not afraid of you!”

She slammed the ofuda on the pole and shouted, “Evil spirit… BE EXORCISED!”

She panted, as she was calming down, feeling uneasy.  She then relaxed, speaking, “Very good.  As long as he doesn’t show up, again.”

She went back inside, as she got a phone call from another of her friends.

“Hello?”  She answered the phone.

“Rei, it’s Ami.”  A girl said, “You feeling okay?  Usagi told me about you, yesterday.”

“Sorry… I didn’t want to tell her.”

“What’s wrong?  Rei?”

She shivered, as she held the phone, tightly, feeling completely scared, “I don’t know… … … I feel like I’ve been seeing things.  Ami, tell Usagi that I’m sorry for yelling at her…  You see…”

“Is this about the other week?”

“No!  It’s not!  If I told Usagi about it, she’d make a big deal out of it.  Plus, she’d hunt that thing, for no reason at all!  Okay, maybe for _one_ reason, but that’s all I can say!”

Ami scolded, “What are you talking about?”

Rei shivered, as she said, “I… I… I…”

She hung up the phone and shivered, “I’m sorry… Forgive me…  What is wrong with me?  It’s like… I have no courage to say it.  Why won’t I say it?  What, say that “ _Hey, girls!  Jadeite came back and wants to take a private bus ride with me.  OH!  No wait!  I cannot, because he’s a ghost, and his stupid ghost bus!_ ”?  They’ll never believe me.”

She sat down and whispered, “I’m scared…  Completely terrified…  What is wrong with me?”

The phone rang again, as she answered it, “Hello?  Hino residence…”

It was James.  He said on the phone, “Time’s running out…  You have to take the ride… but if you don’t, you may never get it, again…”

She cried, “Look!  I don’t give a crap what you’re saying, but why are you calling me?”

The phone hung up, as Rei tried to pick up, “Hello?  HELLO?  Jadeite?  Er, James?  OPERATOR?”

She put the receiver down, as she cringed in fear, “Why did he call me?”

The next day, Rei was sitting down on a bench, as she was still thinking about what just transpired, last night, with that phone call from James.

“Whoever he was, I don’t know why…  I wish he’d tell me what is going on…  What did he mean by _running out of time_?”

A girl with long blonde hair and a red bow, wearing a white uniform and blue skirt, was walking down the street, as she spotted Rei.  It was one of her friends, Minako.

“Rei?  You okay?”  She asked her, noticing her shaken disposition.

“Minako…” she said, “Hey, is Usagi with you?”

“NO, why?”

“Shall we talk, together?  I need a serious voice…”

They walked together, as Rei told her about Jadeite, who she killed, a long time ago, back when she was Sailor Mars.  She even told her about what he’s done, before Minako joined her and her friends.  After that, Minako was worried, as Rei told her about the bus that came to her temple, for days, now.  She even said that Jadeite, under an assumed name, in an empty bus, wanted Rei to join him.  But overtime, she kept refusing to get it.  And to make things scarier, the Bus #6277 doesn’t exist.  It _does_ exist, but no longer, since it was demolished.  It even showed up, no matter where she went.  Minako chuckled, as she was laughing over a ghost story.  She said, “Rei, you have a vivid imagination.  You have been seeing things.  You’ve got to understand.  Jadeite’s gone forever.  It was the right thing you did… but you cannot shake off these chimeras.  The Rei Hino we know and love would _never_ become a coward.  But it did give you a shock.”

Rei said, “Yes, I know.  But I cannot become scared, all the time.  But I want to know…  Is there such a thing as a TTD Route 10, rerouted to Sendai Hill?”

Minako said, “Uh, Rei… There _is_ a bus to Sendai Hill… Just not the Route 10…  It… It doesn’t stop by the temple.  It only stops by the entrance.”

Rei shivered, as she asked, in complete fright, “Is there _even_ a TTD bus?  I’ve been on one, and it’s like I’ve know these buses, before!  I took one to school, and to home, for heaven’s sake!  It’s like I’m being haunted by my sick fantasies and crimes!  I only saved the day, helping Usagi and you guys!  I’m not a murderer!  We destroy monsters!  THAT’S ALL!  But why is the guy I burned to death still around?  Is it because he wants _me_ dead?  Or does he want me to stay with him?  I’m okay with ending this joker, because he’s evil!  He’s the vilest person I have ever met, since I became a Sailor Guardian!”

Minako said, “Well, he’s gone, now.  At the very least, you should get over it.  If I were you, I’d _not_ go in that bus.  If he tempted you to go in, say “NO” and leave.  You should know that…”

“Yeah, but…  What did he mean by _running out of time_?”

“It’s pretty obvious.  That guy is trying to take your soul.  In this case, it’s a simple soul taking thing.  It’s usually the death bus… taking you away.”

“No…  You’re kidding me?”

Minako said, “Don’t worry.  You can fight it.  If that guy comes by, and takes you away, say NO.  I’m not saying this, because I’m your friend and ally, but I can’t stop you.  You can beat this.”

She left, as Rei thought to herself, “Right…  I can beat this.  But, Jadeite wants me dead?  I mean…”

She then remembered how she killed Jadeite, with her _Akuryo Taisan_.  That image replayed in her head, over and over again.  Rei said nothing.  She walked off, as she still remembered everything that has been going on.

Days had passed, and she has not seen that bus, in a while.  She still felt relieved, but she’s not feeling happy about this.  If the bus _does_ come back, she’ll just walk away from it.  She then explained, “Well, it’s been days.  I’m so glad that _he_ didn’t show.  But still…”

She pictured his death, over and over, in her mind.  But she also had a vision… except it was _her_ , in that vision.  She was sweeping in her yard, as she felt something bad.  She ran off and noticed something.  She then ran out of the yard and gasped in horror.  The vision stopped, as she cried, “What is this?”

She sat down and was completely traumatized.  She then replied, “Maybe I should go outside… and maybe get some air.”

She stepped outside and breathed heavily.  She relaxed by a tree, as crows continued to flutter by her house, including her pet birds, Phobos and Deimos.  She then looked up in the sky and whispered, “Please… Someone tell me.”

She closed her eyes, and then fell asleep.  She then went into a deep sleep, as she still remembered everything that transpired.  She even remembered everything that Jadeite was doing, in order to welcome her in his bus.  Unfortunately, she didn’t.  She stayed asleep, as she dreamed.

In a dark room, near an abandoned bus depot, she was all alone, seeing a huge soiree of buses, all labeled with the letters “TTD”, which stood for _“Tokyo Transit Department_ ”, labeled in little letters, under the big letters.  She whispered, “It’s scary, I know… but why did I end up here?”

She walked into the main office, which was a small desk with a small television, covered in stray sheets of paper and folders full of reports.  There was also a fan on, which was on low speed.  It even had a poster of Sailor V, in her sailor suit and red eye mask.  She then said, as she was concerned, “Maybe the main offices’ files will tell me what’s going on…”

She opened the files, as she looked into the reports.  Unfortunately, none of them had anything about James, a.k.a. Jadeite.  She winced, “But how?  That is impossible…”

She then spotted a map of all the bus routes.  She then looked at a small intent, with a thumbtack on Sendai Hill, as she was shivering.  She then saw a small yellow post-it note.  It said “ _Rei Hino – pickup immediately_ ”.  She gasped, as she covered her mouth, in fear.  She knew that the ghost bus was coming after her.  She then stepped out, as she felt extremely nervous.  But as she stepped out of the office, a bus started to move, as the headlights turn on, and with the motors running.  The bus then showed the ticker, which said “ _Rei Hino_ ”.  Rei shivered, as numerous bus drivers were in each bus, looking like Jadeite.  She ran off, as the buses started to move, leaving the station.  She hid behind the building, as the buses drove away.  She said, “This is nuts.  Why can’t they take a hint?  I don’t want to become a ghost!”

She ran away, after the coast was clear, losing all the demonic ghost buses.  She then said, “If only I can transform… so I can fight these demons…  But how?  How can I tell if they are demons?  This is not like me, at all…”

She crept off, heading to a dark area, downtown.  As she arrived, minutes later, as the clock set at 12:29am, and she was exhausted, she was sitting in the bench, looking to see if any buses have arrived.  Rei, however, need to have her courage, in order to fight these ghosts.  Unfortunately, she doesn’t have the courage to do so.  But then she said, as a lone bus was driving to her, “Wait… This _is_ Jadeite, we’re talking about.  Why wait?  I can do this!”

She cheered, “I CAN DO IT!  NO WAY IN HELL THAT JADEITE WILL END ME!”

She held up her gold pen and cried, “ ** _Mars Power… MAKEUP!_** ”

But…  
“Huh?”  She gasped, “Nothing?”

She looked at her gold pen.  It was a black pen in a gold cap.  It wasn’t her transforming pen, at all.  She gasped, “No… It’s _not_ my pen?  What is going on?”

She tried to figure it out, but was too late.  The bus arrived at the stop, as James, in the bus, said, “Room for one more?”

The bus went closer, as Rei ran for her life.  The bus drove after her, but she ducked into a dark alley.  It went passed her, staying on the usual route.  Rei ran in the dark alley and was by a dead end.  It was a huge brick wall.  She climbed up the wall and said, “He won’t find me.”

She leapt over to the other side of the wall, as she was in another street, which had another bus drive by.  She gasped, and then ran off, heading towards another corner.  She ran past a red light, as a bus was driving toward her.  It however stopped, as it nearly hit her.  James, again, in another bus, opened the door and said, “Time’s running out, Rei Hino…  Room for one more?”

“No… LEAVE ME ALONE!”

She ran away, continued to scream for her life.  Minutes later, she ran out of downtown, heading to a bridge, near a forest.  She panted, as she was shaken in fear, as the lights on the lampposts started to die out.  She shivered, as she was scared, “No… What is going on?  Why can’t I transform?  Why are these drivers after me?  Why is the TTD always so finicky?  WHY ME?”

She ran to the forest and said, “Well, as long as I’ll lose them, there are NO bus stops in the forest.”

As she went in the dark forest, she hid behind a tree and waited for the moment.  The buses continued to drive around the city, and somehow lost her.  Rei smiled and said, “Good…  They’re gone.”

She walked down the forest, as she said, walking through the deep dark night, on a muddy path, “Once the demons forget about me, I can go home, safely.  But I have to leave a message to Usagi and the others.”

She held up her phone and wrote a text to Usagi.  However, her phone was dead.  She gasped, “My batteries…  Damn it!”

An owl let out a hoo, as she walked down the muddy path, feeling tired and sweaty, with her sweat dripping lightly in fear.  She held herself, and thought to herself that she’s alone.  She has no contact with her friends, she cannot transform into Sailor Mars, and she cannot fight back or tell off James the driver.  She then found a small town in the middle of nowhere and said, “Oh, crap…”

She hid behind the tree and waited.  She realized that a small town in the city has buses there.  And with the #10 buses after her, she could not dare go there.  She then returned to the forest and said, hiding by the tree, which was on the ground.  She lied by the log and relaxed.  She said in complete exhaustion, “Maybe… when the buses are not running, I could call the others to get me, before morning.  But I’m tired…  I don’t know if I can take much more of this.”

She relaxed, until she heard a voice.  It was Jadeite.

“Rei Hino… You poor fool… You cannot escape fate…  You are destined to ride with me.  I forgive you for what you did, but I was only following orders.  You will understand, my friend.  You cannot seize faith, and escape your life… or have you forgotten?”

Rei shivered, as she looked around.  No one was there.  He then hissed in an evil ghoulish voice, “You are dead… YOU ARE DEAD!  DEAAAAAAAAAD!  Dead… as the panda… Dead… as the dodo…  Dead… as me…  You… are… **DEAD!** ”

Rei shrieked, as Jadeite’s words continued to haunt into her head, “GO AWAY!!!”

She cried, as he continued to haunt her.  Jadeite spoke, in his haunting echoes, “You can deny it… but it _is_ true…  Join me.  Join me for one last ride…”

Rei tried to run away, but a bus arrived by the edge of the forest.  She turned around, but tripped and fell in the mud.  She moaned, as she was covered in wet dirt.  She groaned, as James, the driver in the bus, appeared by her, as she saw his feet.  She looked up and he said, “Room for one more…”

Rei shrieked in bloody horror.  
“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!”

Rei woke up, as she was terrified.  She then sat up and calmed down.  She felt her body and said, “Thank goodness…”

She looked at her pen, which was gold and red, with Mars’ symbol on it.  She was relieved that it was a bad dream.  As she was smiling in relief, the #10 bus returned, as she huffed, “Here goes nothing…”

She went to the bus, as James said, “Come on in…”

Rei then thought, “I’m dead… running out of time… and even room for one more…  Minako _was_ right…  The bus is like the grim reaper.  I can’t go in there.  But I cannot succumb to fear, any longer.”

She took a deep breath and then shouted, “NO!”

He was shocked, as James said, “Huh?  What is going on?  You don’t want a FREE ride?”

Rei said, “No.  I’m sorry.  I… I can’t go in… I don’t care how many times you say it.  But I refuse to get on.”

James smiled and said, “As you wish… but today _was_ your last chance.”

“My last chance?  Who are you, and why did you haunt me, with this phony bus ride?”

She stepped in the bus and said, “Before you drive off, I want to know, face-to-face!  Who are you?”

He asked her, “You tell me.  Do you wish to know the truth, or do you already know?”

“Huh?  I mean, don’t act so high and mighty, jerk!  I _know_ what you want!  You want to take my soul and send me to Hell!”

The doors shut, as James said, “And what makes you think I can do that?”

“You!  YOU WERE--!  AGH!  You don’t get it!  I am living a full life here, and I am _not_ wasting it, getting into this… this… thi-, this… demon bus!!!”

“Demon bus?”

He chuckled, as he laughed.  Rei shouted, “WHAT’S SO FUNNY?  STOP LAUGHING!  You think you can take me to hell for what I did to you, _Jadeite_?”

“Seriously, why do you keep thinking I’m this Jadeite fellow?  My name is James.”

“SO… So… You’re not him?  It can’t be right.  I mean, I know--.  Oh, wait.  I can’t explain it to you…”

James smiled, “Is it because you’re Sailor Mars?”

Rei gasped, “H-H-How did you know?”

“I am everywhere…  In fact, you _do_ remember why the bus is here, right?”

“Yes.  It’s taking me away from my loved ones and friends.  Forgive me, sir, but I have to go.”

The doors opened, as he said, “As you wish.  But I’ll give you a couple seconds to change your mind… Maybe you need time to think.  You have five minutes.  Refuse, and I’ll leave you, forever.”

Rei nodded, “That, I can enjoy.  Thanks.”

James glared, “But, _I insist_ you ride with me…”

She barked, “What part of NO do you not under--?”

“REI!”  A girl cried out.

She turned around and saw Usagi, running to her, in tears.  She bawled, as she was running, “REI!  NO! NO!  DON’T GO!”

Rei scoffed, as she smiled, “Oh, no.  Usagi, calm down.  I can explain.”

She extended her arms out and beckoned to Usagi.  But Usagi ran through her, like she was a ghost.  Rei gasped, as she saw Usagi ran past her.  She cried, “USAGI!  HEY!”

James said, “She can’t listen to you… And you have four minutes left.”

Rei asked, “What is going on?”

Usagi was crying, as Rei turned around.  She said to James, “Hang on a minute.”

She walked to where Usagi is, who was also by Minamo, Makoto, and Ami.  Usagi was holding a girl with long black hair and a shrine maiden’s outfit.  Rei was in shock to learn that the girl was Rei, herself.

“No… It’s… It’s not true…” she cringed, with tears in her eyes.

She was wrong about the demon bus.  In fact, she saw her body, with a small treck of blood on her head, as her eyes were closed, and her body was limp and ragged.  She saw what she just cannot believe… Rei Hino is dead.

“I’m… I’m dead?”  she was shaken, with tears rolling down her cheek, “No… Then the bus…”

James smiled, “Room for one more?  Time’s running out… Three minutes left.”

Rei said, “Why didn’t you say anything?  Why won’t you tell me what is going--?”

She gasped, as she suddenly remembered.

_Rei was sweeping by the shrine, as she saw a little girl playing by the street.  She bounced her red ball down the sidewalk, until it bounced to the yard.  Rei smiled and said that the little girl was playful.  But then, a huge truck drove by, as the girl ran to the street.  In a sprig, Rei ran out of the yard and ran to the little girl.  She shoved her off to the pavement, and then…_

**_CRASH!  
_ ** _Rei was struck severely by the truck.  The driver in denim stepped out and saw the downed Rei, bloodied and battered, as she was clinging to life.  She was already dead, as he called the hospital to take her away.  A girl with short blue hair and a school uniform ran to Rei, as she was screaming to her._

_“REI!”  She cried, “OH, NO!  REI, WAKE UP!  WHAT HAPPENED?”_

_Ami’s cries for help continued to echo for her, as Rei suddenly remembered._

“So… the bus… it’s… You want me to come in…”  She asked, “For what?”

James winked, as he said, “A second chance.  You are so young, Rei.  I cannot let you die, easily.  Plus, being what you really are is a heavy burden, more than life, itself.  You’re very young, and I refused to let you die, just like that…  But however you perish, you cannot expect a miracle… because I might not save you again, should the disaster become even severe and unorthodox.”

Rei looked at Usagi, who was crying for Rei, holding her motionless corpse.  Rei whispered, “Usagi…”

She had the courage to speak to the driver, “Sir!  How long do I have left?”

“You have one minute left…  Do you wish to get on?  If so, I can take you back to your life.  If not, you may find happiness… in the afterlife.”

She then thought, “Lose Usagi… and her friends… or rejoin her, to be happy…  It’s so tough.  But I cannot dare lose this.”

She asked, “One question – Why do you resemble a person from my past?”

He smiled, “I wanted to see if you had the courage to accept a second chance, coming from an evil person you did kill.  Unfortunately, you did right, since you were very heroic.  The world _does_ need superheroes.  So, I took the form of this guy, only to make you decide.  It worked, but perhaps _too much_.  You have 10 seconds left.  You said NO, but is it too late to change you--?”

Rei barked, “OKAY!”

She calmed down and stepped in, with a smile on her face, “Continue this talk, when we arrive at the living world.  James… Room for one more?”

She smiled, with tears in her eyes, as she thought, “Usagi… Ami… everyone… I’m coming home…”

James smirked, as he said, “Watch your step.”

He shut the doors, as Rei sat down, feeling happy.  She said, as she looked at the distance of her fallen body, from far away, “Don’t cry for me, Usagi.  I’m coming back to you.  Sorry if I worried you.  But, I want to live… to protect you.”

She asked James, “Hey, sir?  Exactly where does this bus go to?”

He said, “Purgatory.  This will be a detour to the afterlife, before I drop you off to the real world.  These buses usually go in one way, only – _Heaven_ or _Hell_.  In this way, you chose neither, since you’re 14 and young.  But I promise, Miss Hino… it may take a while, but your shred of life will return to your old body.  Believe me.”

“Okay.  And also, I’m sorry if I scared you.  I… I was scared that I was going to--.”

“Hell?  Don’t be silly.  You’re too goody-goody to go to Hell.  Heaven, maybe, but that’s different.”

The bus drove away, disappearing into the distance, fading out in a transparent gust of wind, never to be seen again.  As for Rei’s body, Usagi was still crying, as the paramedics arrived to take her away.  Usagi sobbed, as she was saddened by Rei’s death, “Rei-chan…  No… She was our friend…”

The girls held each other, sobbing lightly, as they mourned over Rei Hino.  The paramedics carried her body away, in a stretcher, and put her in the ambulance.  The ambulance drove away, leaving the girls to mourn for their fallen friend.

_We all know the penalty of life and death.  It is not through doing something bad or good.  It’s about wanting to live for the moment.  For Rei Hino, who took her own life, just to save an innocent girl, got what she deserved…_

The machine flat-lined, as the paramedic said, “She’s dead.  Time of death:  1:21pm.  No pulse; severe head trauma; broken spine and ribs; loss of blood… it’s like, she’s lost the will to live.”

The second paramedic placed a blanket over her face, until…

**Beep! Beep! Beep!  
** The machine started to beep, as Rei just got a pulse.  The paramedic cried, “Wait a minute!  Get a load of this!  Her pulse has returned!  Keep her stable.”

The paramedics continued to treat her, as Rei was alive.  Unfortunately, she is still unconscious, with a lone tear from her left eye, rolling down.

_Miss Rei Hino – died a hero, and was given a second chance.  She has finally achieved life, even if is to shake off her demons of the past.  
To us, it was considered “The Death and Rebirth of Rei Hino”… in the “ **Tales of the Bizarre** ”…_

**Author's Note:**

> This is my very first stand-alone Sailor Moon fanfic, since Sailor Moon celebrated its run for 20 years and counting. This story reflects around Rei Hino (NOT Raye Hino), and there is one moment from the Sailor Moon series, which is a bit correct.  
> Sailor Mars killed Jadeite in the original manga, burning him to death; while in the original anime, Jadeite was put in a deep sleep by Queen Beryl, after failing to defeat the Sailor Guardians; moreover, Mars bested Jadeite in the anime reboot, similar to the original manga, except that Jadeite retreated, leaving only a severe injury.  
> There are a lot of Sailor Mars/Jadeite fans here, who want to see this pairing going on. And since Jadeite is dead, I figured to have him be a part of the story, make it like he’s luring Rei into the bus.  
> By the way, this story was also based on the original Sailor Moon episode, “The Cursed Bus: Enter Mars, the Guardian of Fire”, which in Sailor Moon Crystal, it was called “Act 3: Rei – Sailor Mars”, which was named after the manga chapter, of the same name, in the Sailor Moon manga.


End file.
